A Year of Love, A Year of Sorrow
by USUK101
Summary: Hikaru tries to find meaning in his life when he loses to two most important people in his life.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Hikaru opened his eyes, staring into the darkness of his bedroom. Was it night? Or morning? The curtains were closed, so he couldn't tell. He looked at the digital clock on the side of his bed. 7:00a.m. Hikaru groaned as he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the crusty crap on them. He got out of bed and opened the curtains, hoping to let in the light of the beautiful morning sunshine. But sadly, it was raining. Hikaru sighed in disappointment. It had rained for the past three days and he was hoping for some sun today.

Hikaru made his way back to his bed. He placed a hand on his still sleeping, adorable twin brother. He shook him gently, trying to wake him up. "Kaoru," he whispered. "Hey Kaoru, wake up. We gotta get ready for school." Kaoru groaned as he turned over to look at Hikaru. His face was bright red and he was sweating buckets. Hikaru gasped at the sight of his brother. "Kaoru!" he shouted. "Kaoru, are you ok!?" Kaoru shook his head as he started coughing. "Are...are you sick?" He nodded. He couldn't even speak.

Hikaru walked over to his closet and put on his uniform. Kaoru slowly started getting out of bed. "No!" Hikaru snapped. "You're staying home today!" "But... Hikaru, we have our midt..." Hikaru cut him off. "I don't care about the fucking midterms, Kaoru!" he yelled. "All I care about is your health, and I don't want you to go to school today!" Kaoru sighed and laid back down. "Now," Hikaru started. "Are you well enough to eat something?" Kaoru shook his head.

Opening the door, Hikaru made his way down into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and filled it with orange juiced, no pulp. Just the way Kaoru liked it. He walked back into his room and handed the glass to Kaoru. "Here," he said. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better." Kaoru took hold of the glass, slowly sipping at it. Hikaru grabbed his backpack from a chair and stood at the doorway. He looked back at Kaoru before leaving. "Get some rest," he said. Then he left the room and walked to school.

As he walked, he didn't look up. He looked down at his feet, watching every step he took. Without paying attention, he ran into someone, causing them to drop their stuff. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Hikaru yelled. "Let me help you pick this stuff up." Hikaru knelt and started picking up the pages of geometry homework and english essays. "Thanks Hikaru," said the voice.

Hikaru gasped. His heart skipped a beat. He recognized the voice. _Shit! _he thought to himself. Slowly lifting his head, he looked up to see Haruhi, with her beautiful brown eyes and thoughtful smile. Hikaru's face flushed red as he quickly stood up, hand Haruhi the mess of papers that had fallen to the floor. "I'm so sorry, Haruhi!" he repeated. "It's all my fault! I should've been watching where I was going!"

Haruhi laughed, which made Hikaru blush even more. He thought her laugh was adorable though. "It's alright, Hikaru. It was just an accident." Hikaru smiled as he let out a small laugh. "Where's Kaoru?" she asked with a look of concern. Kaoru normally never misses school. The smile on Hikaru's face faded. "He's sick. He had a high fever this morning, so I had him stay home today." "Oh, well I hope he gets better soon."

The two host club members stood there in silence. "W-well I gotta go," Hikaru finally said. "I'll see you in the host club later." Haruhi started to laugh. "We have the same class right now!" Haruhi exclaimed. "Oh," Hikaru said, face bright red in embarrassment. "H-how 'bout we walk to class together then?" he asked, a nervous tone in his voice. Haruhi smiled and nodded.

The day went by pretty slow without Kaoru by Hikaru's side. A one hour class felt like ten years. Hikaru wasn't too excited to go to the host club after third period. He never knew how to make girls' hearts melt without Kaoru. But he would manage somehow.

Hikaru placed a hand on the handle to the host room. He sighed as he opened the door to see Honey swinging around Haruhi. "Haru-chan, you two are gonna be together forever!" Honey shouted. Hikaru walked into the room, a confused expression on his face. "Honey-sempi? What's going on?" Honey wasn't listening. He was too busy jumping around and laughing.

Hikaru looked at Kyoya. "Kyoya-sempi?" Kyoya smiled as he spoke. "Our king had just asked our lovely princess to be his girlfriend." Hikaru gasped. He looked at Haruhi, with a depressing look in his eyes. "Is...is this true Haruhi?" Blushing, she looked down and smiled. "Yeah. It is." Tamaki took ahold of Haruhi's hand and spoke softly. "Today, she is my princess. But one day, she will be my queen." She giggled as he kissed her hand.

Hikaru's heart sank. He could feel the tears forming in his eyes. He couldn't handle the pain in his heart. So he stormed out of the music room. Haruhi ran out the door and stood outside it screaming, "Hikaru! Hikaru, wait!" But he didn't turn around.

Hikaru walked home, trying to get the thought of Tamaki and Haruhi together. He looked down at his feet while he walked again. Then, suddenly, he heard the sound of a siren. He looked up to see an ambulance in front of his mansion. His mother was standing near it in tears. Hikaru ran over to his sobbing mother.

"Mom!" he shouted. "Mom, what's going on? Why is there an ambulance here!?" Hikaru's mother looked up at him, tears flowing down her face. "It's..." she finally said. "It's Kaoru." Hikaru's eyes widened at the sound of his brother's name. "What's wrong with Kaoru?" he asked. "Well," she sobbed. "Kaoru got up to use the bathroom, and he... he collapsed. When I found him, he wasn't moving."

Hikaru watched as his brother was pushed on a gurney into the ambulance. Him and his mother hopped in the back with him. Hikaru looked down at his brother, barely holding in the tears. _Please be ok, damn it!_ When they got to the hospital, Hikaru walked with his mother inside. They couldn't follow Kaoru since he was going into the OR.

They waited in the waiting room for three hours before a doctor had finally came in. When Hikaru saw the doctor, he jumped to his feet. "How is he, doctor? Is he gonna be ok? Can we see him?" The doctor sighed before he spoke. "Yes, you can see him," he said. "But I have some bad news."

Hikaru's heart nearly stopped. "W-what kind of bad news?" he stuttered. "Kaoru has come down with a terrible case of pneumonia. We've tried everything, but there's no way of him getting any better. I'm sorry, but Kaoru isn't going to make it." Hikaru's mother fell to her knees in tears, screaming, "MY BABY!" Hikaru could no longer hold it in. He, along with his mother, fell to the ground.

"How...how much longer does he have to live?" Hikaru somehow managed to say. "About three more days." Hikaru got to his feet and wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked down at his mother, who was still crying. "Mom, I want to see Kaoru alone." His mother didn't reply. She didn't even hear him.

Tears rolled down his cheek as he looked at his unconscious bother, hooked up to a heart monitor. "Take as long as you'd like," said the doctor. Hikaru slowly walked over to Kaoru. He sat in the chair next to him and grabbed Kaoru's hand. It was ice-cold.

Hikaru spoke softly. "Kaoru, there's no way I can live without you. You're more than a brother. Even more than a twin. You're my best friend, and I don't want to lose you!" Hikaru held on to Kaoru's hand tighter as he cried. "Hi-Hikaru..." Kaoru finally said.

Hikaru gasped when he heard Kaoru's voice. "Kaoru!" Hikaru shouted in excitement. Kaoru moved his head slowly to the side to look at Hikaru. His face was pale, and it made Hikaru's heart grow weary. "Hikaru, you're the best twin brother I could've ever asked for." More tears flowed down Hikaru's face. "Kaoru, I love you! I'll stay by your side till the very end." Hikaru stood up and kissed Kaoru on the forehead.

At that moment, the doctor walked back in. "I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over." Hikaru frowned as he looked down at his brother. "I'll be back tomorrow to visit you again. I promise." Kaoru smiled and whispered, "Ok." Hikaru couldn't sleep that night. He stayed up, hoping that there would be a slight chance that Kaoru would make it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The next day was even harder for Hikaru. Not only was his brother dying, but the girl he's in love with is dating one of his best friends. He hung his head low as he walked through the hallways of Ouran Academy. He didn't even care if he ran into anybody. Unfortunately, he did. It was Haruhi again.

"Sorry, Haruhi. I'm just out of it today." Haruhi smiled. "It's ok," she said. Her smile suddenly faded. "Is Hikaru out sick again?" Hikaru bit his lip to prevent himself from crying. He didn't want anyone to know Kaoru was dying. "Uh, yeah. He's very sick." "Well let's hope he gets better soon," Haruhi said with a happy tone.

Hikaru's lip started to quiver. "Hikaru, what's wrong?" Haruhi asked. Hikaru didn't answer. Tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. "Hikaru, are you ok? Why are you crying?" Hikaru fell to his knees, tears now flowing out of his eyes like a river. Haruhi knelt down next to him, rubbing his back for comfort.

"Hikaru, what's wrong? You don't usally freak out when Kaoru's out sick. Is... is it more serious than a simple cold?" Hikaru nodded. His sobs grew louder, and people were starting to stare. "Is he gonna be alright?" Hikaru slowly shook his head. He slowly lifted his head, wiping the tears away. "He..." Hikaru finally said. "He went into the hospital when I left the Host Club. W-when we got to the hospital, the doctor told me he has a terrible case of pneumonia, and he only has three days left to live."

Haruhi gasped as Hikaru began crying again. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry to hear that!" Haruhi hugged Hikaru as he cried. "Haruhi!" shouted a voice. Haruhi looked up to see Tamaki walking towards her. Her face turned bright red.

Tamaki smiled when he saw her, but that smile soon faded when he looked down at Hikaru. "Haruhi, what's wrong with Hikaru?" Tamaki asked with a concerned tone in his voice. Haruhi looked at Hikaru. "Can I tell him?" she asked. He nodded. Haruhi looked back up at Tamaki as she spoke. "Kaoru went into the hospital yesterday. He has pneumonia and he only has a few days left to live."

Tamaki's eyes widened. He placed a hand on Hikaru and said, "This must be hard for you. He's your brother, so I understand how upset you are." Hikaru stood up and wiped the last of the tears away. "Thanks, Tamaki-sempi. It'll be a while before I'm used to Kaoru being gone, but I'll be fine." "Do you mind if I tell the Host Club?" Hikaru shook his head. "No, I don't mind. They need to know to." Tamaki waved goodbye as he walked away with Haruhi.

Hikaru slowly walked to class, bumping into people from time to time. The thought of Kaoru dying, and the thought that he can never be with Haruhi, kept him from concentrating. During class, he couldn't pay attention. He she a tear whenever he thought about Kaoru.

Hikaru ended up bursting into tears in one of his classes. "Hikaru Hitachiin!" the teacher snapped. "This is no time to be crying, you baby!" Haruhi slammed her hands down on her desk and shot up. "His brother is dying! I think he has the right to cry whenever he feels the need!"

The whole class gasped at what Haruhi said. "Oh boo hoo, everyon goes through tragedy. There's no need to cry about it! Now sit down!" Haruhi slammed her fist into the desk. "No, I will not sit down!" she yelled. "When someone you're close to is dying, you have yhe right to cry!" The teacher was red with anger. "SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW MS. FUJIOKA!"

The class gasped again. "Haruhi, you're a girl!?" asked on of the girls. Haruhi's face grew bright red with embarrassment. She glared at the teacher, then stormed out of the classroom. She slammed open the door to the music room, throwing her bag across the room. Tamaki was there, playing the piano. He quickly looked up to see his girlfriend yelling and grabbing her hair.

"Haruhi?" he said. "What's wrong? Did something happen during class?" Haruhi nodded vigerously. "You remember how we told all my teachers to refer to me as a guy even when they know I'm a girl?" Tamaki nodded. "Well, my math teacher was yelling at Hikaru, so I was yelling at her, and she called me Ms. Fujioka... MS.! I already had one girl ask me if I was a girl before I ran out of the classroom!"

Tamaki gasped. "Haruhi. Does...does this mean you have to..." Haruhi nodded. "Yeah... I have to leave the Host Club." Tamaki got up from the piano bench, walked over to Haruhi, and hugged her. Tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Oh, Haruhi," Tamaki said quietly. "Is there anything I can do so you don't have to leave?"

Haruhi shook her head. "Word'll get out fast, and I won't get any more requests. I'll have to find some other way to pay off the debt." Tamaki chuckled a little bit. "You don't need to worry about paying off the debt. You already have." Haruhi looked at Tamaki, confused. "What do you mean?" A smile spread across Tamaki's face. "You agreed to be my beautiful girlfriend, and even thought you're priceless to me, you were worth enough to pay off the debt."

Although Haruhi was blushing at Tamaki's compliment, she wasn't smiling. She knew she would still ahve to leave. "Do you still have that spare girl's uniform?" "Yeah." "Can I use it? Since people are gonna find out that I'm a girl, I should dress in a girl's uniform." Tamaki nodded once, then went into the closet to get the spare uniform. Haruhi took the uniform, then went into the changing room to change.

It took all of five minutes for Haruhi to change. She even folded her old uniform into a nice, neat pile. Tamaki sat outside the changing room patiently, waiting for Haruhi. When Haruhi pulled the curtain, Tamaki's face turned bright red (just like when her found out Haruhi was a girl). "Haruhi, you look beautiful." Haruhi smiled. She quickly kissed Tamaki on the cheek, grabbed her bag, then went back to class.

Hikaru was the last one to show up at the Host Club. When he walked into the music room, everyone was sitting down except for Haruhi and Tamaki. "Oh, Hikaru!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Sit. Haruhi and I have a couple of important announcements." Hikaru sighed. He knew what Tamaki was going to say, and he was pretty sure he knew what Haruhi had to say.

"Ok, now that everyone is here, Haruhi has something to say." Haruhi took a deep breath before speaking. "Today is my last day in the Host Club. Due to recent events, I have to leave." Honey jumped up from his seat and clinged to Haruhi's leg.

"But you can't leave, Haru-chan! We love you here!" Haruhi knelt down and hugged Honey. "I know Honey-sempi, but I have no choice. I have to leave." "What happened, Haruhi?" Kyoya asked. "One of my teachers addressed me as a girl, and I ran out of the classroom."

Honey let go of Haruhi's leg and wiped away a tear in his eye. "You're not going to forget us, are you Haru-chan?" Haruhi smiled. "Of course not, Honey-sempi. I'll still be coming to visit. Maybe even as a guest."

Tamaki smiled for a second. "Now I have something I have to say." Hikaru could feel the tears forming. He covered his face with his hands so no one could see that he was about to cry. "We're losing more than one member of the Host Club," Tamaki said. "Our dear Kaoru is in the hospital... and he only has a couple days left to live."

Everyone gasped and looked at Hikaru, who was now crying and not noticing everyone was watching. Honey walked up to Hikaru and tugged on his sleeve. "Hika-cahn. Does... does this mean Kaoru-chan won't be with us anymore?" Honey's lip started to quiver.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, Honey-sempi." Honey burst out into tears. Haruhi picked him up and held him as he cried. "I know, Honey-sempi. We'll all miss Kaoru very much." Tamaki patted Honey on the head. "We should all take some time to calm down before our guests arrive."

Haruhi set Honey back down on the ground. "Well I guess I better go now." "No, Haru-chan!" Honey shouted, grabbing onto her arm. "Please stay!" Haruhi sighed. "I'm sorry Honey-sempi. But I can't." Mori tried picking Honey up, but he refused to let go.

"Mitsukuni. Let go!" he said. "No! No! Takashi, let go of me!" Haruhi loosened frome Honey's grip. "I'm sorry Honey-sempi!" She opened the door and left. She could hear Honey crying and yelling, "Haru-chan!" It broke her heart to hear him so upset.


End file.
